San Antonio Spurs: Depth Will Lead to Series Win

Game 1 of the 2015 NBA Playoffs did not pan out like the San Antonio Spurs hoped it would. In the first round’s most intriguing series, the Los Angeles Clippers used a 30-point third quarter to easily dispatch the Spurs 107-92.

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The Clippers stars were stars, with Chris Paul leading the way with 32 points, six assists, and seven rebounds. Blake Griffin scored 26 points while nabbing 12 rebounds, and DeAndre Jordan’s 14 rebounds and four blocks made for a difficult night around the rim for the Spurs.

As a team, the Clippers shot 51.3 percent from the field and 55.6 percent from three-point range. The second-ranked Spurs defense could do nothing to slow down the Clippers starters (and Jamal Crawford).

Offensively, the Spurs were just plain bad. They shot 36.6 percent from the floor and only 10-for-33 from outside. A surprising 14-for-26 effort from the free-throw line made matters worse. It was not the performance Gregg Popovich might have wanted, but it is not time to panic. If the Spurs lose Game 2, and then drop a game at home, I give Spurs fans permission to panic.

Even in the convincing loss, a large advantage presented itself for San Antonio; they have a significantly better bench than Los Angeles. This was well known heading into the series, but seeing it in action Sunday night highlighted the difference even more.

Jamal Crawford played extremely well (17 points on 7-for-10 shooting), but other than him the Clippers bench combined for five points in only 21 combined minutes. That includes scoreless nights from Hedo Turkoglu, Spencer Hawes, and Dahntay Jones.

The five-man unit of Austin Rivers, Jamal Crawford, Hedo Turkoglu, Glen Davis, and Spencer Hawes started the second quarter. Within two minutes they had allowed the Spurs to go on a 10-0 run, shrinking their twelve-point lead to two.

That five-man combination has been just as putrid during the regular season. In just more than 62 minutes together, they are minus-7 points per 100 possessions. Now to a live look at Doc Rivers for his thoughts on their production.

The ineffectiveness of the bench as a whole means that Rivers will have to play his starters longer, as he did Sunday night. Paul and Jordan played 38 minutes, J.J. Redick played 36 minutes, and Blake Griffin played a whopping 43 minutes. I can only imagine how high those numbers would have climbed if the game was close late in the fourth quarter.

The Spurs on the other hand, can go deep into their bench and still expect solid production. Though, Marco Belinelli and Patty Mills were the only two to really showcase their games at the highest level Sunday night. Belinelli scored 11 points, going 3-for-6 from outside, and Mills went 3-for-5 from the field scoring 9 points.

Even though the rest of the bench squad struggled, the advantage in depth is still apparent.

Manu Ginobili is still a reliable drive and kick player, Boris Diaw is a crafty stretch four, Aron Baynes is another big body (with six fouls) to throw at DeAndre Jordan, Cory Joseph can pester Chris Paul for stretches, and even Matt Bonner can step up and knock down threes when called upon.

Both primary five-man bench units have played well together the entire season. The grouping of Mills, Ginobili, Belinelli, Diaw, and Baynes were plus 19.4 points per 100 possessions during the regular season. With Joseph instead of Mills, that number is still good, at plus 13.5 points per 100 possessions.

It may not have shown itself fully in the first game, but over the course of seven difficult games, I expect the depth of the Spurs to lead them to a series victory. Their effectiveness does not just come in the form of points, rebounds, and assists. Providing significant minutes allows them to rest their starters longer, leading to fresh legs later in the series.

The fact of the matter is Rivers has to play his starters sometimes ridiculous minutes because any long stretch with only bench players could be the difference in winning or losing a game. It’s almost as if only signing players that played well for or against you between 2007 and 2009 (and trading for your son) is not the best way to build a team. Who knew?

Without back-to-back games in the playoffs, bench play may seem less important, but in the fourth quarter of a Game 7, I’d feel more confident in the team that is better rested. Especially when that team is the San Antonio Spurs.

Will the Clippers starting five have enough stamina to put the Spurs away, or will the depth of the Spurs wear them down over seven grueling games? I’m excited to find out.

The series returns to action Wednesday night.

Next: San Antonio Spurs: Relax, it's Only Game 1

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